Leo Glavine says he has a plan to bring new health clinics to rural N.S.
The Nova Scotia government says help is on the way for communities struggling with emergency room closures.
Minister of Health Leo Glavine says he's working on a plan that will bring new clinics to a half dozen areas of the province.
Despite a concerted effort to recruit or relocate staff, some hospitals continue to close their emergency rooms because of a lack of resources.
Glavine says it's particularly bad in North Sydney.
"It is not sustainable. It is not possible to keep Northside open as a full emergency department. It hasn't really been for a while," he says.
Gavine says there's a similar situation at the Roseway Hospital.
"It may not remain as a full emergency centre but it's best that we have some form of emergency care in Shelburne," said the minister.
Glavine says the plan is to take the collaborative care model introduced by the NDP and modify it to fit community needs.
But keeping every ER open around-the-clock, he says, is no longer workable.
"We will keep the ERs open that need to be open. Those that need to be redesigned around primary care, that's the direction. The next ones are the three in Cape Breton, Lunenburg, Shelburne," said Glavine.
He says an announcement on where five or six new clinics will be placed will come in late summer or early fall.
